A Goal of Time Commitment

It's time to (officially) begin my first phase of goal-setting.

We all know that in order to get things done, we have to make goals for ourselves and be accountable for those goals.  But you have to set goals that work.  Goals that are reachable, doable, and realistic.

Just Do It
I have some issues with completing projects around my house.  I have empty picture frames, unfinishes crafts, un-opened bottles of artists' paint.  In order for me to finish up some of these projects that really mean a lot to me, I have to set goals along the way and stay accountable.

Challenging and Specific
My writing goal for the next month is to write at least 30 minutes a day.  Almost any form of writing gets my grey matter juices pumping, so my 30 minutes a day could include journal writing, blogging, free-writing, or brainstorming story lines.  30 minutes a day is a bit challenging, but that's a positive characteristic because it is also specific and measurable. 

It's important for a goal to be challenging, because you cannot accomplish much without sweating over it a lease a little bit.

Derived from Desire
This goal also comes from an instrinsic desire of mine.  Not a goal recommended by someone else...   something I've always wanted. 

Simply: to write more.

Well, here I go, Self.  Now's my chance.  Drop and give me 30.

Writing 30 minutes is not just something I want to do because I love writing, but it's also in the interest of improving my writing and tapping into my creativity more often during the day.  It's also like taking that many steps each day towards my larger vision of writing a full-length novel.

Non-conflicting
Even though it is challenging, writing 30 minutes a day is not so lofty that it's going to compete with other goals.  30 minutes still leaves me time to exercise and write my freelance articles every day.  It just means I have to discipline my time a little better to make sure that I get 30 minutes of creative writing a day.

Staying Accountable
I'm tracking this goal for the next month to see how I do, and I'll report at the end of November.  I keep a simple calendar hanging on my wall above my computer monitor, that is both dry-erase capable and magnetic.  I place a magnet on each day that I complete my writing goal.

You, dear blogging cosmos, are my accountability coach.

Rewards
So, sure, I can be a bit reward-driven.  It's in the nature of the living.  We get rewarded for something, and our desire and ability to continue doing it increases.

My reward is two-fold: an equal-and-opposite reward, and an indulgent reward.

For every 30 minutes I write each day, I will grant myself 30 minutes to read.  Just to sit, anywhere I want, and read any book I want, for 30 in-interrupted minutes.

30 minutes writing = 30 minutes reading

And at the end of month, if I meet my goal at least 90% of the time, a trip to one of my favorite places: the book store!